Sequential recovery orocesses of tungsten from hubnerite mineral concentrate of Qash Amir mineralized quartz veins, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

Abstract

A hubnerite (MnWO4) mineral concentrate was prepared from the mineralized quartz veins of Gabal Qash Amir muscovite granite. This W-concentrate was chemically processed to obtain the more economic highly pure tungsten oxide. To accomplish this goal, two successive atmospheric agitation leaching processes were conducted. The first includes HCl acid agitation leaching to breakdown hubnerite mineral structure. The purpose was also to get rid of the associated Mn and Fe contents from one hand, and to prepare the more important intermediate tungstic acid from the other hand. From the latter, a sodium tungstate (Na2HWO4) leach liquor was adequately prepared after applying the second atmospheric NaOH agitation leeching process using the optimum conditions of 40% caustic soda concentration at solid/ liquid ratio of 1/3, 180 o C for 2h. Finally, 7% Alamine 336 in kerosene was used for extracting 93.7% of W content under the studied optimum conditions of O/A ratio of 1/1, contact time 7 min at room temperature (20±5 o C) and pH of 8.